Method of and machine for applying reenforcing strip material



May 21, 1935. 0 R. A. HARTT 2,002,452

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR APPLYING REENFORCING STRIP MATERIAL Filed June 3, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT R May 21, 1935. A, HART-r 2,002,452

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR APPLYING REENFORGING STRIP MATERIAL Filed June a, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR mama May 21,1935

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR APPLYING- BEENFORCING STRIP ,MATERIAL Robert A. Hartt, Lynn, Mam, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Griess, Pfleger 8; Company, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June a, 1930, Serial No. 459,066

ZCIaims.

.It is a common practice to apply reenforcing tapes, bindings and similar strip material to various kinds of articles and particularly to shoes and other footwear, hereinafter referred to collectively as "shoes. In some cases the reenforcing strips are secured flatwise, either by adhesives or stitching or both, while in other instances, 'as in edge binding, the reenforcing material is folded over the edge of the shoe upper or other part of the work to which it is applied. Frequently these bindings and strip materials are used solely for ornamental purposes.

The.present invention relates to methods of and machines for applying reenforcing strip material and is more especially concerned with those reenforcing tapes, bindings'and the like which are coated with a meltable adhesive. In applying reenforcements of this kind it is necessary to heat the adhesive coating sufficiently to make it tacky and thus to cause it to adhere firmly to the parts tobe reenforced. This has been done heretofore by running the reenforcing strip incontact with heated hammers, hot pressing devices or the like. The use of such devices, however, complicates the construction of the machines in which the operation of applying the reenforcing strip material is performed, and frequently they interfere with the handling of the work. Furthermore, it is dimcult to incorporate such devices in somemachines in any practical manner. To avoid these difficulties and to facilitate the application and handling of reenforcing material carrying meltable adhesives constitutes the chief object of this invention.

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying draw lugs, and the novel featureswill be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a folding machine of a common commercial type quipped with apparatus constructed in accordance with this.

' illustrated in Fig. 1.

The drawings show the invention applied to a rotary folding machine of accmmon commercial construction. It is designed especially for applying edge binding to the uppers of shoes and to other kinds of work which can be handled in essentially the same manner. The usual practice is to stitch the binding or reenforcing strip 2 (Fig. 3) to the edge of the part 3 of the upper I or equivalent article ofwork, and later tofold the free portion of the binding over the edge i of the upper and to press it down upon the margin of the upper in the manner illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4.

The machine shown includes a driven feed wheel 5 which serves both to support and feed the work, and a rotary head 6 carrying a series of folding disks I which not only revolve with the head, but are also positively rotated on their own axes. A guide block 8 best shown in Fig. 2, is positioned adjacent to the wheel 5 and head 6 and has an angular guiding face 9 across which the work is fed on it's-way to the folding disks. As the worktravels across the guide block 8, it is pressed against the guiding face 9 by a. small roll or wheel l0 having a toothed edge, the'wheel being supported for yielding movement toward and from the guide block. The block thus serves both as asuppor't for the binding and also as one element at the folding means. It will be observed that the axis of the rotary head 6 is inclined with reference to the feed wheel 5. The arrangement is such that as the work is fed across the guide block 8, the binding 2 is bent or folded upwardly at approximately right angles to and across the edge of the section 3 of the shoe upper, and as the binding passes out of engagement with the upright guiding surface of the block 8, it is engaged by the disks 1 which wipes it forward over the margin of the upper 3 and presses it down into the position shown in Fig. 4. These stepsiri the folding operation are performed progressively as the work is fed past the folding inrent of hot air or other suitable gaseous fluid against the adhesive coating of the binding just before it is folded over, the hot air'or other fluid' serving to soften the adhesive sufliciently to make it tacky and cause it to adhere firmly to themargin of the upper 3.

The apparatus illustrated for performing this function comprises an electric heating unit l2 mounted in a casing l3 having a chamber l4 considerably larger than the unit, so that ample air space is provided around the unit. This casing is supported by a bracket l5 (Fig. 1) secured to the frame of the machine. Suitable piping, including a pipe or tube l6, conducts air from a blower or pump l1 into the chamber I G, the pump or blower being driven by a motor i8. Additional connections, including a curved tube i9, conduct air from the chamber l4 and direct it against the coated surface a (Fig. 3) of the binding 2, the discharge end of this tube being shaped to form a nozzle as indicated at 20 (Fig. 5). Preferably the pipe connections include a valve 2| adjustable to enable the operator to regulate the flow of air to suit the requirement of the work.

As the air is forced through the chamber M, it becomes heated to a relatively high degree, such, for example, as 160 or 170 F., and it is discharged against the adhesive coating a. at only a slightly lower temperature. This coating thereupon becomes tacky, and immediately thereafter the part of the binding bearing the tacky adhesive is folded over the edge and pressed down upon the margin of the section 3 of the upper and adheres firmly to this part of the work. It is preferable to position the nozzle approximately as indicated in Fig. 5 so that the air willbe directed along the coated surface longitudinally of the binding strip and toward the folding devices, or in other words, in the direction in which the binding is being fed.

In using an apparatus of this character, considerable flexibility in organization is permitted by the fact that the heating medium which acts on the adhesive coating is of a gaseous nature. Because of this fact the heating element need not be located in any particular relationship to the operating elements of the machine, and the discharge pipe or tube can be bent or arranged in such a manner as to avoid interference with the work or with the movements of the operator.

While it is preferable to direct the blast or hot air or other fluid against thecoating at a point fairly close to the position at which the folding operation is being performed, considerable latitude in this respect is permitted particularly since the temperature of the fluid can be varied as required. The necessity for a fixed and accurate relationship between the path of travel of the work and the heating element which is to act on it, therefore, are avoided, and the application of the heating apparatus to existing machines is facilitated.

While it is usually preferable to use air as the fluid medium and to heat the air by electrical apparatus, it is contemplated that other fluids, such, for example, as steam can be used, and that other methods of heating can be employed. The practice in these. respects will be determined largely by the conditions surrounding individual installations, the nature of the adhesive coating and other practical conditions. These factors also will determine the temperature of the heating medium used.

While I have herein shown and described a typical apparatus embodying this invention, and have described the method of this invention in connection with it, it will be understood that the method may be practiced with the aid of a wide variety of forms of apparatus, and that the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Also, that while the invention has been shown in connection with a specific machine, this showing has been made rather by way of illustration than limitation, and the invention is equally applicable to other machines for applying reinforcing tapes and bindings.

It will be understood that the term meltable adhesives refers to that class of adhesives which are melted or softened by heat in applying them to the articles to which they are to adhere. Usually such adhesives are relatively insoluble in water,

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

1. That improvement in methods of securing a reenforcing strip of sheet material coated with a meltable adhesive to an article of work which consists in relatively feeding said article and strip, pressing said strip against said article with the adhesive coating in contact with the article,

and rendering the adhesive tacky immediately prior to bringing it into contact with said article by blowing a hot gaseous fluid along the surface of said adhesive coating longitudinally of said strip.

2. Ina machine for folding a strip of edge binding material coated with a meltable adhesive about the edge of a shoe upper, or the like, comprising, in combination, folding devices for acting on said strip to fold it across the edge and to press it down upon the margin of the upper, means for feeding the work past said devices, and means for directing a current of hot gaseous fluid along the surface of the adhesive coating on said binding longitudinally of said strip while the work is being so fed to render said coating tacky preparatory to. being pressedagainst the margin of the upper by said devices.

ROBERT A. HART'I'. 

